Cristiano Ronaldo welcomed to Madrid by 85,000 fans

MADRID - About 85,000 Real Madrid fans packed the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu late Monday night to welcome Cristiano Ronaldo, the largest such gathering in the history of Spanish football.

Real president Florentino Perez - who has paid Manchester United a record 94 million euro ($131.45 million) for Ronaldo - introduced the Portuguese winger as “one of the chosen few”.

Ronaldo, 24, was clearly moved by the warmth of his reception and looked close to tears. He finally managed to say, “I am very happy to be here … my dream since childhood, of playing for Real Madrid, has come true”.

He then delighted the packed stadium by juggling a ball and strolling around.

Ronaldo will wear the number 9 shirt for Real, who hope to sell around 100,000 replica shirts in the next two weeks.

Earlier on Monday, Ronaldo flew into Madrid for successful medical checks and to sign a six-year contract with Real. He will earn around 13 million euros per season, making him the best paid player in the world.

Perez is determined to build a star-studded team capable of challenging European champions Barcelona, and has already splashed out around 210 million euro in a record spending spree on Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol.

According to the Spanish media, Perez is prepared to spend up to 300 million euro on his new team, despite having been criticized for his profligacy in times of crisis by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and UEFA president Michel Platini, among others.

Apparently, Perez’s next targets are David Silva of Valencia, Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich and Liverpool pair Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.